In 1924, Marcel L'Herbier, patron saint of French avant-garde silent films, enlisted architect Robert Mallet-Stevens to design a melodramatic abode for the wealthy backers of his futuristic film, L'Inhumaine. The film boasts a veritable who's-who of design elite: Pierre Chareau aided Mallet-Stevens, glassmaker René Lalique devised props, couturier Paul Poiret fashioned a Picasso-esque wardrobe for the cast, and artist-designer Fernand Léger was tasked with the crown jewel of the film—the scientific laboratory.
L'Inhumaine's unwieldy plot and cringeworthy dialogue are redeemed by—what else?—a bona fide smorgasbord of auspicious experimentations from a set of designers on the precipice of greatness.